12th February 2013, 7pm

In
China’s biggest ‘no man’s land’ – a visually astounding and
environmentally harsh wilderness that stretches over 45,000 square
kilometres – we witness the true story of a Beijing photojournalist sent
to report on the poaching of indigenous antelopes by local Tibetans,
who have just killed a patrolman. A group of Tibetan volunteers band
together in 1993 to patrol the Kekexili region of Tibet and ward off
poachers but can only issue fines and confiscate pelts, which they then
have to sell on the black market to support the patrol. When another
patrolman is found murdered, they step up the chase and capture a group
of men who work for the poachers as skinners, not ruthless or evil
criminals but ordinary people who have only this as a means of
sustenance. This is a powerful tale of the struggle for survival set
against the backdrop of the bleakly beautiful Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Based
on the tension and circumstances that surround China’s control of
Tibet, with the interesting note of the participation of the official
Chinese press reporting the original true story, director Lu Chuan gives
us a multifaceted account of a controversial reality.

Part of the Festival of Chinese Film and the Body 2012

Organised with Patrizia Liberati, PhD candidate at Peking University.

Running
up to Chinese New Year 2013, the UCL China Centre for Health and
Humanity will be showing a season of recent Chinese films related to the
UCL Grand Challenges themes: Global Health, Intercultural Interaction,
Sustainable Cities and Human Wellbeing. The screenings will be presented
by three film specialists. Where possible, they will also feature Q
& As with the directors.

All the screenings are open, free of charge,
to all members of UCL and registered Friends of UCL CCHH. To become a Friend, pleaseclick here.

The Festival forms part of the new CCHH course Chinese Film and the Body.For details of the course, please click here.